Chicago-Style Pizza

So, after our deliciousness at Lou Malnati's, I decided to recreate the experience. It was yummy! Wanting to share in the wealth, but having no body around (except Joe and Brit, they're busy), I decided to post the recipe (it's more like instructions):

This picture is not my own. I forgot. But you'll get the basic idea.

Marika's Chicago-esque Pizza Deliciousness

1. Preheat'cher oven, with the rack at the very bottom, to 400*F.

2. Roll out a pre-made pie dough into a pie pan, 8x8, 9x9, or other dish that you think is appropriate, I think a spring-form would be ideal, but the move seems to have lost ours. I used a 9" pie pan (PS You gotta use metal).

3. Spread about half a pound of RAW Italian Sausage (hot if you like) into a disc or square or whatever. This recipe makes me sound stupid. But the sausage should cover the bottom.

4. In a couple of teaspoons of Olive Oil, sautee some mushrooms (I used about a cup of Creminelli, sliced) with 2 cloves of sliced gaaahlic (I'm Italian now) until the garlic begins to soften. Add 1/2 an onion, diced into large-ish pieces, and sautee until the onions begin to soften (you want them kinda crunchy so they don't melt in the pie). Spread this over the sausage, pressing it into the layer a little bit.

5. Drain 1/2 a loaf of fresh mozzarella (it comes in one-pound loaves, if you have a Costco, it's cheap there) and put it on top of the veggies in slices. It'll seem like a lot of cheese, but... It's not supposed to be THAT healthy, people!

6. I put some of our Jimmy John's pickled peppers on top of that, slightly chopped. I'm sure you could use other kinds, but JJ's is the BESTEST!

7. Cover with chunky tomato sauce (I made my own out of diced Italian stewed tomatoes, but you can just use some chunky Ragu or whatevs. Some of you have jobs/kids! The sauce should be pretty thick in consistency.)

8. Sprinkle Parmesean (the dry grated kind) or Pecorino Romano on top. Brush the part of the crust that still shows with some oil or butter or egg yolk or milk.

9. Bake at 400*F for 40 minutes. It's a pie, so let it rest until the juices get sucked up (I'm still not sure where those go, really), about 15 minutes. Slice (that's the hard part) and ENJOY!

If you make this, let me know! I'll come right over!